About

In an era of globalization and modern societal development, the role of technology prevails and digital connectivity has become a key growth element of education, knowledge, and innovation in the new millennium. Today, academic institutions, governments, industries, businesses, and society at large operate and coordinate across borders to meet the demands of globalization and support common socio-economic goals. Information and knowledge represent new globalization phenomena, which pose major connectivity challenges. In the global information economy, education is the enabler and competition is the vehicle for innovation. Languages, cultures, and comparative advantages are combined to yield mutually beneficial outcomes towards leveraging technologies and developing sustainable corporations responsible to the well-being of our societies.

More than half of the region’s combined population of around 400 Million people is estimated to be younger than 25 years. This fast growing population places limits and creates challenges for the competitive and economic vitality of the region. Unless effective policies are matched with accelerated structural reforms combined with an up-scaling education and training efforts, our countries are unlikely to capture the vital energy of today’s youth and meet their ambitions for more opportunities and inspiration. Educational reforms, advancement of research, and integration of ICT infrastructures are critically needed not only to unlock the region’s creative potential but also to accelerate the dawning of sustainable economies for meeting the growing regional challenges in education, environment, energy, water, health, security, and governance.

The use of ICTs and, in particular, e-infrastructures, access to computers and the Internet, are innovative resources that have become recognized as vital tools for research, education and lifelong learning. Social inclusion, research & education, and workplace effectiveness are increasingly dependent on access to knowledge, network participation, and the use of ICT. Educational institutions and learning environments play a key role in providing these tools, training, and knowledge that promote meaningful use of ICTs, given that they enable mass access to connectivity and the use of electronic networks, i.e. e-Infrastructure for R&E.
Education systems provide strategic opportunities for reduction of social inequities, and, when integrated with ICTs, they can be a push to overcome the digital divide and to improve educational quality. Therefore, the incorporation of ICT in the education field is not just to offer access, but rather also to promote the effective inclusion of ICT in the teaching-learning process and school management. This requires that both education authorities and teachers acquire new skills, which implies profound changes in the traditional educational culture. Initiatives to increase the use of ICT for development – especially in the education field – carry with them the imperative that technologies are a means, not an end, i.e., a tool for achievement rather than an outcome in and of itself.

Integrating Arab e-Infrastructures in a global environment is meant to be the launching pad for R&E connectivity and cooperation. It will bring together the ASREN, EUMED, GEANT, AfREN and INTERNET 2 stakeholders and region’s foremost innovators, leaders, scientists, and businesses to discuss and debate new models of innovation, integration of R&E networks, policies for sustainable development in education, means of knowledge sharing and dissemination, capacity building programs, and region-wide e- infrastructure deployment to tackle today’s crises in climate change, global economy, food and water scarcity, alternative energy, and threatening environmental issues. The forum can lay the foundation for a dream of many of today’s leaders towards a global e-infrastructure for R&E based on real life broad inclusiveness beyond any political protocols.